Figures from the end of January showed that of the 233 of the “children” currently held in custody, 202 of them were over the age of 16, according to the AFP news agency.

The report, entitled, “Children in Israeli Military Detention,” claimed, “Ill treatment of Palestinian children in the Israeli military detention system appears to be widespread, systematic and institutionalized.”

In response, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it had provided UNICEF with material used in the report and pledged to work towards implementation of its conclusions.

“Israel will study the conclusions and will work to implement them through ongoing cooperation with UNICEF, whose work we value and respect,” a Foreign Ministry statement said.

The majority of PA Arab teens incarcerated and referred to in the report were apparently arrested for hurling rocks at Israeli motorists – an act intended to kill, and which has sometimes succeeded.